March 1703 (7)
= La Gloire du Roi - March 1703 = Weather this month *Heavy rainfall in the East Indies and India (flooding in the East Indies). *Storms in the far south and the Northern Atlantic, Northern and Southern Europe. Events Of Importte Pertaining To Recent Matters Tomar *A crowd gathered at the ruins of a Knights Templar castle close to the small Portuguese city of Tomar, and then went down to the city and protested about the late famine and called on the authorities to ensure this never happens again. Berlin *Prince Frederick Wilhelm IV, Elector of Brandenburg, Duke of Prussia stood before the gentlemen of the General Directory and the Diet in his spurs and boots, and made this announcement: "Gentlemen, following Russia's declaration of war against the Swedish I urge you to honour our treaty and send our armies to the aid of our ally lest we die from dishonour and consign our peoples to eternal shame! I have sent orders to our generals to march immediately. Our men are ready, our nation is ready, I am ready! For those of you with sons in the army, send them off with heartfelt praise, for those with commissions join your regiments with my blessing, and for those who remain govern the country justly in this time of conflict!" With cheers ringing in his ears, along with a few shouts of 'about time' and 'we'll show the world just how good our armies are', the Prince left the chamber and rode off to war. *The philosopher Herr Liebniz has revealed some recent research he has done about the ancient figure called Arminius: He was a chief of the tribe called the Cherusci. In the famous action of Teutoborg Forest he annihilated a strong Roman army while leading a loose alliance of Germanic tribes against the hated Latins. He was later assassinated after being decisively defeated by General Germanicus of the Romans. It is thought his demise was ordered by rival German chiefs. *Bishop Johann Ernst Gluck delivered a blood curdling sermon on the wrath of God, strongly hinting that the ungodly Swedes would feel the full weight of 'God's hammer - the Protestant armies of Russia and Prussia.' Some in the congregation wondered how the Russians could be described as Protestants, but Bishop Gluck asserted several times during the rousing sermon that they really are! Other clergymen followed his example with varying degrees of panache from church pulpits all over the land. Church bells have been rung to celebrate the moving out on campaign of the Prussian field armies and the glory to come. London *A play, ’The Perils of Lady Pauline’, a thrilling account of which is given elsewhere in this most charming publication, has been put on in a hired theatre in the city of London. The short run was well attended, although it is feared that on account of the cost of hiring both theatre and actors the backers may have actually made a loss. However, artistically the venture has been declared a runaway success by all who went to see it! Amongst those going to see the production was Mister Grenville de Coursey, who just the evening before at his house, No.7 Park Lane had put up a framed copy of Tuttle's Jamaica Sea Chart, of which he is rightly proud and of which he never failed to tell anyone at theatre who cared to listen. This put him in such a good state of mind that he could not but fail to enjoy the play, and indeed went accompanied by the notorious, or should we say famous, Ms. Belle Watling, upon whom a new wardrobe had clearly been lavished. Indeed both these luminaries of London Society were seen to laugh and almost cry at the humour and pathos of the play. The playwright responsible, Mister Joseph Thackary, lapped up the compliments which came his way, and has hinted that the real lady upon whom the play was based had actually attended one of its performances. *Mister Grenville has also mixed in high places this month, going to the office of Baron Somers, the Lord High Chancellor of England. Upon presenting his card, he was invited in and presented the good baron with a copy of Tuttle's Jamaica Sea Chart, 'as promised'. Valetta *Grandmaster Perellos y Roccaful has granted permission for Boris Sheremetev to enter his palace. Upon coming in Sheremetev bowed low and cordially exchanged pleasantries with His Eminence. He then asked if he may have a private word with the Grandmaster? Delhi *Saqlain Mushtaq has announced, on behalf of the Great Moghul, that any nation may buy a mining licence to prospect and mine Moghul India’s considerable mineral resources. Each licence costs £50,000, he explained, and will grant such rights and ensure legal protection for your miners as well as protection from the Moghul Army. Stuttgart *The Duke of Wurtemburg is expecting the Prince of Bavaria to grace his court with his presence late in April, and when he does Duke Eberhard has said he will grant him a private hearing. Dresden *With the blessing of her father, Lady Ursula von Hesse-Kassel has arrived in Dresden as a guest of the Prince of Saxony. Her mother, Landgravine Maria, has accompanied her to serve as her guardian and chaperone for the duration of the visit. *Prince Frederick Augustus has made a donation to the Lutheran Church of Saxony, perplexing the Lutherans yet further following last month's exchange between His Highness and their theologians. He described it as 'a donation to the Church in respect to the valiant defenders of the faith belonging to it.' All then became clear... the Prince of Saxony declared that he was pleased that the test he set for the Saxon clergy had been passed with flying colours! "I wished to see if the clergy would stand true to their faith in the best traditions of Martin Luther, and defend it against threat, including from the state itself! I was more than impressed with the quality of the theology from my clergymen, and so have made a donation to the Church in respect of the valiant theological defence of scripture made by the greatest defenders of the faith anywhere on earth!" The Lutherans were most gratified to learn of their prince's words, and his appreciation of their apologetic work in relation to Sola Scriptura. Following this, Frederick Augustus said he is now convinced of the truth of this Christian faith brought to him by his steadfast Lutheran clergy and so has decided to convert back to the Lutheran faith! The Lutherans were utterly delighted by this news, one quipping that 'there is much rejoicing in Heaven over one sinner who repents... Probably because it doesn't happen very often!' "If I and my subjects are to be attacked by the Catholic Hapsburg empire of Austria and it allies I cannot in good faith defend my people and my nation while adhering to a faith I no longer believe in," he explained. "While this nation prepares itself for what is to come I feel closer to Martin Luther than at any other time in my life. My clergy have shown themselves to be true defenders of the faith, how could I stand up to this example in this, the hour of our need. May God bless all Lutherans in Saxony, and in our faith let us show we are worthy of His blessing. It is time for us all to stand together, we are not just defending this nation, we will be defending the true faith of our Lord if a Catholic army does indeed invade the birthplace of the most holy Luther. We will fight with honour and we will fight for the truth of God." At a ceremony at Dresden's Lutheran Cathedral, the Prince was confirmed into the Lutheran Church's faith to the great joy of the bulk of the city's populace who are quite excited to see this great miracle occur! Regensburg *The Archchancellor of the Imperial Diet, the Prince of Pfalz has arrived in Regensburg and ordered the Diet into session in order to ratify the appointment of four reichsmarshals and a reichsadmiral, and to discuss whether Baden, Lorraine and Mainz should be ceded from the Holy Roman Empire to France. Kiev *General Bock, in command of the 4th Russian Army (Army of the Dnieper) expressed his great satisfaction that Prussia and Russia will be under arms together against Sweden, and is asking for a leading role in command of an army during this Great Northern War? Versailles *The engagement of Anne-Louise de Noailles, Countess of Foix to Count d’Arco has been announced at Versailles. The wedding is to take place at the Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris on 14th June 1703, if the King of France grants permission? It is entirely possible that His Majesty will not grant his permission, since the announcement appears to have taken him by surprise and there was a hint that he did not approve. Instead he introduced Count d'Arco to Sophia d'Estrees, the daughter of Jean, Duc d'Estrees. This meeting proved embarrassing for both D'Arco and D'Estrees, who were polite to each other but gave the impression that in these circumstances they really could not wait to part company! Despite this, Louis extolled the virtues of such a match: "Sophia's father has a strong military background and so would prefer a military wedding, and the Field Marshal would seem to be a good match." *The Prince of Bavaria, following his sojourn at the court of King James in Paris, travelled to Versailles and met King Louis XIV, thanking him for his generous hospitality and asking if it would permissable for His Most Christian Majesty to put on a review with him, hopefully in Paris, of France's Irish and Swiss regiments? *Prince Max of Bavaria left Versailles on 22nd March along with D'Arco, who seemed greatly relieved to be leaving. *Louis XIV was no doubt gratified to be in receipt of gifts from the people of the farflung globe, notably in the form of a pair of giraffes from Africa, a set of fireworks from China, fine gemstones from India, and a Canadian Indian peace pipe. *Returning to court from Paris, Baron Rudolf von Auerswald craved the attention of the French court and announced that Prussia is now at war with Sweden. "Our nation is honour bound to fight alongside our ally Russia," he said, "and show the same commitment that France demonstrated to Prussia through the dark days of 1702." *As is his wont, King Louis has continued to hand out awards this month. To Thomas Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, was presented L’Ordre de Cuillère en Bois ('The Order of the Wooden Spoon'), a calculated insult which Pembroke took while grimacing, but otherwise in good humour. Pembroke was also reminded that England had promised to send France a spoon dredger mission, and shown letters purporting to be from Lord Somers which said as much. However, Earl Pembroke gently pointed out that these letters did not say that one would be sent, but only that His Lordship was not averse to perhaps doing so. Freiherr von Reldburg was then called forward to be made a chevalier L’Ordre de I’Universelle Aragne, but humbly pointed out that he has already been awarded with such an honour. He then thanked His Majesty most profusely for his recent honours and informed him that Emperor Leopold will be attending Versailles to celebrate his forthcoming anniversary following the recent invitation to do so. Then, and it was an unprecedented step, His Sacred Majesty was announced and Leopold I, the Holy Roman Emperor himself, entered into the presence of King Louis, accompanied by Empress Eleonor and followed by Prince Eugene of Savoy, and behind him his court artist Nicholas Lancret! For once the French court was stunned into silence, and even King Louis's usually unscrutibility seemed to falter a little upon being presented with a golden coach pulled by four horses which must have cost Vienna an absolute fortune! *All ambassadors at Versailles have been issued with invitations to the King of France's ruby jubilee, his 60th anniversary, which is due to be held in May. An invite was also issued to Msr. Visentin of the Honourable West India Company's office in Paris, and one is also known to have been sent to the Pope asking that he send a representative. In addition, Louis urged those who have not yet sent their ambassadors to Versailles to do so, so that their invitations are not delayed, and finally added that sovereign rulers are most welcome to attend along with their ambassadors should their other commitments allow it. Lisbon *The two-year tax exemption for Portugal’s nobility came to an end this month with the resinstatement of the tax at its previous rate of 5%. Stettin *Stettin in Western Swedish Pomerania has been seized by Prussian arms in the name of Prince Frederick. Prussian flags have been raised over the town and martial law declared. The entire male population has been placed under armed guard by Prussian soldiers, while those of noble birth have been 'permitted' to hand in their swords. There was some annoyance over this, and when Prince Leopold von Anhalt-Dessau heard of it he concluded that the orders had been misintepreted by his underlings. The swords, he decided, would be returned and the nobles paroled on payment of a surety of 100 Talers and a signed oath made before a Protestant clergyman that the gentlemen so paroled will not engage in any act of war. Constantinople *Selim Dayal, the Ottoman Anatolian Vizier of Trade has ordered trade with Siam and the Far East to cease following large losses incurred in 1702. *Prince Racovita of Moldavia has been given a large platter of Turkish Delight aboard his royal yacht Molda, a personal gift from the Ottoman Grand Vizier for him and his courtiers as a thank you for visiting Istanbul. Poona *Maharaj-Prince Shrimant Rajaram of the Maharatas went on a fast to celebrate Maha Shivaratri on the thirteenth night of the waning moon of Magh, and then offered Bilva leaves to Shiva. The following morning he announced that 'I will scatter the Portuguese like Bilva leaves and Shiva will bring about their destruction.' Stade *Eleven squadrons of the Prussian Wespe Dragoon Regiment commanded by Colonel Kempf rode into Stade, to the horror of the local residents, and attempted to take down the Hanoverian flags. Men of the Hanoverian Army's Ludwig Dragoon Regiment objected strongly to such vandalism, and very soon fighting broke out between these two bodies of men. A Prussian fell, as did several dozen Hanoverians, the fellows of whom then shied away and rode off, leaving the despairing civilians to the depravations of the Prussians again. *Martial law has been introduced, and the order has gone out that any Swedish men encountered are to be arrested. Madrid & El Escorial *At the cathedral of Madrid, as elsewhere across the Spanish domains, high mass was held to celebrate the most holy feast of Easter. The President of the Five Guilds, Balthaser de Moncassa led a very large procession of guild members to the cathedral for the mass, the numbers being so great that doors could not be closed since many had to attend the service while remaining outside until they went up for communion. The proceedings within church were overseen by Cardinal Portocarrero, Bishop of Toledo. After the end of the service apprentices of the textile industry as well as metal workers were confirmed as full members of the Five Guilds at a banquet, and all 2,000 were enrolled into the Hermanded Militia of Castille. At the banquet Portocarrero, in his capacity as the King of Spain's Treasurer, gave a speech in which he stated that former apprentices such as these who finish their time serving their apprenticeships and become full members of either the metal workers, leather workers, cloth workers, wood workers, or taylors guild shall gain electoral rights and tax advantages. He expounded more on this, explaining that they will not have to pay any taxes on their workshops or raw materials from Castille. This sounded promising, but brought only scant applause and then when Balthaser de Moncassa rose to address the guild members, he expressed his firm belief 'that the Crown will protect the tax freedoms traditionally and irrevocably already enjoyed by all the many members of the Five Guilds, both present here today and the many who could not make it.' Now this time the listeners broke out into enthusiastic applause, to the clear discomfort of their guest Portocarrero! In spite of this, he managed the situation quite well, rising to present each new guild member with a scroll and medal marking membership, and commenting that 'this is a proud moment in the life of a young Castillian burgher'. Portocarro then spoke once more, following this arduously long presentation ceremony. "Many, mostly the French, said the opening of the Spanish Empire to free trade would see Spanish industry killed by English and Dutch manufacture. Instead many Spanish industries seem to be doing well. No gentleman would dream of using anything other than Toledo steel!" "Some, mostly the Dutch and English, suggest that Spanish industry is still protected by the tax system and Spanish government buying policy, pointing out that the Spanish Mara Musket issued to our army costs three times more than a Dutch or English musket. The Guilds and Spanish Army reply that quality costs and the King of Spain only equips his men with the BEST!" This went down rather better than his earlier speech, and was applauded with much more genuine delight! *At the royal court an Easter egg hunt for children and the young ladies present was put on, with the prize being a pearl necklace hidden in one such egg. *There was consternation, particularly in Madrid, when by royal decree the Pavia Code of Commercial Law was introduced as a new statue. Alas its de facto enforcement and implementation as a law was quickly blocked by the Five Guilds exercising the right of appeal and asking King Carlos III to prevent the introduction of the Code ‘to avoid the loss of ancient rights and the risk of unrest across the kingdom’. Will the appeal is under consideration implementation of the law has been suspended for the time-being. Shanghai *Lord Yea has inspected two galleons which were once in the service of the Navy of Portugal, but which have now been renamed Ting Yuan and Chen Yuan. He found these ships to have a relatively large carrying capacity compared to Chinese designed junks, but if anything their compartmentalisation is inferior in comparison. Despite this they are reputed to be hard to sink on account of their sheer girth and the strength of their timbers. Vienna *Emperor Leopold I has informed Baron Gerlach Adolf von Munchausen that 1,000,000 Talers has been sent to the Bavarian Treasury as the 1703 stipend to Bavaria from Austria. Stockholm *While somewhat dismayed Herr Strickler has presented King Charles XII of Sweden with a declaration of war against this monarch by his nation, Prussia. He seemed embarrassed, and apologised for the lateness of the formal declaration (since he had heard over the past few days that the war was already underway). "We are honour bound to stand by our ally Russia," he explained, apologetically. "I shall remain in Stockholm to ensure swift diplomatic communication and will restrict my movements as circumstances dictate. However if you would prefer that I remove myself and my staff from Sweden then I shall." *Count Lewenhaupt has publicly issued thanks to King Frederick IV of Denmark 'for showing great wisdom in stating his Kingdom will not be attacking Sweden in a letter recently received by myself.' Bristol *Reverend Dr. Sebastian Crane, having by some providential means escaped the clutches of dire poverty put upon him on account of his Christian charity, has opened the Chapel for Sailors in Distress in Bristol. Martinique *On the Bourse d'Amerique there is talk that the war between Russia and Sweden could well result in a disruption of the timber trade in the Baltic area (a popular source of shipbuilding materials). It is believed that this will cause a switch to exporting timber to Europe from Canada instead. Stralsund *In Stralsund a man encouraging German troops of the Stralsund Dragoon Regiment to desert service with the Swedish Royal Army and defect to Prussia has found himself placed under arrest and faced with a charge of treason! Genoa *A consignment of French wines has been delivered to the court of the Doge of Genoa, to which was attached a note stating this: 'A reminder that with wine, as with many things, quality is worth paying for. Cheap Spanish plonk may satisfy peasants, but no family of taste could drink it or dare serve it to their guests.' The court officials are a little concerned that the wine just 'turned up', and fear it may be poisoned... Warsaw *Chancellor Noblovsky of Poland has announced that elements of the Polish Commonwealth’s field army has been called to arms in order to ‘protect this land from outrage now that war has begun in the Baltic area.’ He warned that Poland was arming herself and would not allow forces of the combatants now engaged against each other into either her ports or across her borders. Copenhagen *King Frederick IV of Denmark has spoken at length in relation to affairs with Sweden: "I present to you today a signed confession from the spy caught during the recent fire in Copenhagen. He has admitted to being under Swedish command and that the Russian ships were the target but that any additional damage was anticipated and wished for. Sweden's stance of themselves as victims is shown to be preposterous and their method of attack is without honour." "Russia is completely within her rights to take the action she has, and at least has a ruler who is honest and forthright. Sweden has apparently failed to fulfill their agreement with Russia and instead spent time secretly organising her forces for war. False diplomacy is a stance that is again without honour." "In addition it has been reported that Danes on land ceded to Sweden by the Treaty of Roskilde have suffered mistreatment and have been systematically brutalised and their agreed personal freedoms crushed." "I have written to Sweden to request recompense and would like the current Swedish government to publicly acknowledge their actions as stated above. I am hoping that Sweden will decide to act in an hourable manner but past transgressions and current conduct would lead me to believe that this request will be followed by silence or aggression." "Denmark will not and has not broken the terms of the Treaty of Westphalia which were agreed by all European leaders but we believe Sweden has by waging war against a third party on our sovereign land. Correct me if I am wrong but I believe Sweden was one of the two guarantors of this treaty and has therefore put into question all aspects of this agreement. I believe that all countries, if they believe this treaty to mean anything, will agree with our stance and will join us in condemning the cowardly acts that have led us to the brink of war." "Despite these attacks I believe it is right to continue dialogue with Sweden (although they refuse to correspond at the current time) but I insist that disputed regions are part of any future agreement. I can assure Sweden that further acts of aggression against any part of our territory or any Dane will lead to war and it will be plain for all to see that it is Sweden who will be responsible. I demand international recognition of our rights to compensation under the terms of the treaties. Namely: • £300,000 compensation for the damage to the shipyard and ships. • The return of Scania to Danish rule or as an alternative the Archbishopric of Bremen and Wismar. • Allowing subjugated Danes to leave these areas if Scania is not ceded. • The ceding of Ingria to Russia. Let it be known that I support Russia in this action as I would support any country that is confronted with treachery and double standards." People being Much Admired by the Best in Société *The Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I *Lord Yea Of The Shantung Province Of The Heavenly Celestial Manchu Empire *King Louis Xiv Of France, The Sun King *Cardinal Portocarrero Of The Council Of State, Bishop Of Toledo, King Of Spain’S Treasurer *Roger Martel Of The Honourable West India Company, Spain’S Viceroy Of Africa *Mihail Racovita, Hospdar Prince Of Moldavia *King Thalun Toungoo Of Burma *Maharaj-Prince Shrimant Rajaram Of The Maharatas Shipping Lists: Being a Reporte on Knowne Shipping Movements *The 2nd French Logistics Fleet has sailed into Ancona. *A Dutch fishing ship has gone missing in the eastern English Channel. *A Russian merchant ship went missing in the Baltic. Lloyds Lists: Being a Reporte on Knowne Shipping Losses from Causes Unknowne or Knowne *None. Ambassadorial Appointments *None. Trade Missions Opened *By Moldavia in Madrid. Automatically parsed by LGDRParser v1.0 Category:Game 7